Something More
by Unbearable Sweetness
Summary: Mihashi already trusts Abe but the pitchers lack of confidence and failure to communicate makes it hard for Abe to trust him back,how can he trust him when he doesn't even trust himself?And Abe's temper is half the issue. Is their simpleminded cleanup the solution to his problem?Will Mihashi's new friendship help his confidence?Will they see eye to eye and if they do,will they see.
1. Chapter 1

Mihashi and Tajima finally managed to find out where they were and made their way back home on their bikes.

"Alright, this is me" Tajima said cheerfully before turning down his street while waving goodbye to Mihashi. "I'll see ya tomorrow at practice"

"Y-yeah, see you tomorrow" Mihashi waved back to his team mate and proceeded to walk the rest of the way home choosing to push his bike rather than ride it. He took his time as he was in no rush and it was a good night for a walk. He stared up into the virtually cloudless sky and began thinking to himself as he continued on his way home.

_Should I practice my pitching when I get home, coach did say that the bigger our goal was the harder we'd have to work and if our goal is going to be __Kōshien__ Championship then I'm going to have to work extra hard on getting the sped of my pitches up but it is getting kinda late...isn't it?_

The pitcher thought for another moment about what time it was before remembering he had a cell phone and stopped to pull it out. He flipped it open and just as he did it buzzed, surprising Mihashi and causing him to drop his phone.

He scooped it back up and checked to make sure it still worked, flipping it open and close and checking to make sure the device was still functioning properly. There was a delay when he hit one of the buttons, which nearly caused him a heart attack but the phone was fine. He then checked the time, _**9:13pm**_.

_It should be around 9:30 by the time I get home. I can get in some pitching pratice before I get a shower and go to bed...or would that be pushing it..._

Mihashi closed his phone and was ready to slide it back into his bag before he remembered the text and opened it up again.

_**From: Takaya Abe**_

Mihashi began to freak out, looking around nervously and bouncing from foot to foot for a minute or so before he managed to calm himself down.

_When I left Abe he didn't look mad and it's not like I've done anything bad...and even if I had it's not like he'd know so...maybe he's not mad at me._

Mihashi took a deep breath and held it well he took a look at the subject line.

_**Subject: Don't Go Over Your Pitch Count!**_

The brunette let out a large sigh of relief.

_Abe's not mad, he's just making sure I don't go over my pitch count...but...I don't even remember how many balls I pitched today._

The pitcher let out another sigh and looked back down at his phone to read the rest of the text message.

_**If you're practising your pitching right now, which I know you are, you better keep to your pitch count. I mean it Mihashi. Just because I won't be at practice for a couple days doesn't mean that you can just threw your pitch count away...literally.**_

_I won't. _Mihashi thought as he clenched both of his fists in front of him and nodded. He stayed like that for a moment before realizing that Abe wasn't with him and that he should probably text him his thoughts.

_But I can't remember how many pitches I threw today and if he texts me back and asks me and I tell him that, he might get mad._

Mihashi sighed yet again and stopped to stare up at the sky, as if it would give him an answer.

_Maybe I should just start with telling him that I'm not practising yet because I'm not home yet._

Mihashi brought his phone closer to his face and texted with one hand while he began pushing his bike with the other and continued walking but before he could even manage to type out 3 words his phone rang.

_**Receiving Call From Takaya Abe.**_

Mihashi stared at his phone and gulped. He stood there and blinked at it for some time before finally hitting the answer button.

"A-Abe?" He asked nervously as if he expected anybody else's voice to come from the other end of the line.

"Why don't you know how to text me back" Abe said in a more stern than angry tone.

"I-I was about to b-before you called"

"Oh" Abe was mildly shock "you were?"

"Y-yeah, I was going to tell you that I wasn't home so I-I hadn't started practising...yet"

"Hmm" The catcher was amazed. _I thought that Mihashi might have already gone over his pitch count by the time I had texted him and to avoid getting yelled at, he didn't text back_.

It took a moment for the rest of the information Mihashi had given him to sink in. "Did you say that you weren't home yet? It's already 9:30"

"What?" The pitcher took his phone from his ear and looked at the time. _**9:36**_

Mihashi looked around confused and wondered how much time he had spent staring into the sky.

"Mihashi?" he heard Abe's voice come from the phone.

"S-sorry, Tajima tried to take a shortcut and got us lost."

Abe shook his head. _Oh Mihashi, why would you trust him with something like that?_

"And..."Mihashi began and Abe stopped his thoughts about the brunette's blind trust in their cleanup-batter to listen to the rest of what the he had to say.

"Ummmm..." Abe's eye twitched.

The raven haired teen was growing more and more frustrated with Mihashi inability to communicate with him.

_He was fine when he was here and that wasn't too long ago. Do I sound madder than I think I do? I just want to make sure he doesn't overexert himself or end up hurting himself, especially when the Newcomer's Tournament is only 2 weeks from now. If Mihashi was unable to pitch at all then we'd be screwed as far as it goes with winning the tournament. They'll already have to find another reserve catcher since I'm out of commission, if they had to go through the work of training Oki or Hanai to be the starting pitcher for the whole Newcomer's Tournament...well there's just not enough time. We'd end up losing every game and all the time that would be put into training Oki and Hanai would be totally wasted since Mihashi and I would be fine by the Fall Tournament and that time would have been better spent improving their batting and working to improve in their own positions._

"I-It's nice out" Abe heard the pitchers quiet voice come from his phone.

"What?" _Did I miss something Mihashi said?_

"It's nice out...so I thought I'd walk the rest of the way home once I said goodbye to Tajima and then you texted me and I was trying to think of what to tell you" Mihashi began playing with the buttons on his shirt "because I don't want to go over my pitch count and you were just making sure I didn't but I can't remember how many pitches I threw today and I thought if I told you that it would make you mad and I don't want to make you mad, especially when I know you're just concerned for the sake of the team a-and" Abe heard a sniffle and began sinking into his chair. "I'm just n-not use to keeping track of those thing b-because back when I was at Mihoshi I use to sometimes pitch 2 games a day bec-because I didn't want to give up the mound and s-since no one cared if I ended up hurting myself, no one bothered dragging me off the mound and...and" The pitcher was in all out tears.

Abe heard what he assumed was Mihashi's bike hitting the ground and just imagined the brunette curled up on the side on the road crying his eyes out. Abe turned to the window in the guest room and felt a tear of his own roll down his cheek.

_What kind of decent human being does that to another person? They may have apologized but it just doesn't seem like it's enough and that one idiot Hatake, to say that Kano is a better pitcher even after they lost to us and everything he did to Mihashi. _

More tears began to flow from Abe's eyes but what had started out as tears of sadness slowly morphed into tears of anger.

_All that crap by not giving him signs and saying that he was only the ace because of nepotism. Maybe if he had of actually worked with him he would have found out what amazing control he has, what an amazing pitcher he could be and what a great battery he could form with him and win every god damn game they had but...but he didn't even give him a chance. All the work Mihashi did to hone his control and Hatake didn't even try to understand him. _

Abe continued to look out the window, thought everything over and took a deep breath. He was no longer mad...he was furious.

_Next time we play against Mihoshi I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Mihashi pitches a perfect game. I going to make them see what a truly amazing pitcher they lost because of the way they treated him, especially Hatake. Mihashi worked so fucking hard and still does and I'm going to make sure his old team mates show him some respect...that is after we beat them so bad it will make them feel embarrassed that their playing baseball._

Abe began to smile in a way which could only be described as mildly creepy and slightly demented while Mihashi sat on the side of the road awestruck.

"Yo-you really mean all that" The brunette said between sniffles.

"Mean what?"

"Everything thing that you said"

Abe fell back in his chair with his jaw agape. _Crap I said all that out loud. _"Um...yeah"

Mihashi began getting up as he wiped the tears from his eyes. _Abe cares...about me! _"You don't think that I deserved what they did to me"

"Of course I don't. Mihashi you just don't seem to be getting it do you. I'm your catcher; if I thought that you were a bad pitcher and we wouldn't be able to win a game with you on the mound, don't you think I would have done something about it by now?"

"I guess but I'm the only pitcher available. What if you had a chose?"

"I would still choose you"

"Bu-"

"Don't you think that I would have taken Hanai or Oki and made them in to better pitchers if I thought you were that bad?"

"I-"

"Control like yours isn't a natural talent...it's a skill, a skill that takes years to learn. If Hanai or Oki or anyone were to try and learn that skill that you have, it would take the rest of their high school lives...and that would only be to reach the level you're at now."

"We-"

"From here you'll only going to get better and even at the level your at now, if not everyone on our team thinks so as well, I at least think your irreplaceable"

The pitcher face turned 12 different shade of red before settling on a nice candy apple red. If he was still crying, that would have stopped his tears in their tracks. _No one has ever said anything that nice to me before._

Mihashi picked up his bike, put his bag back in the basket and began looking for a tissue.

Abe waited and heard Mihashi take I deep breathe but rather then receiving some sort of reply he received an ear full of trumpet nose blowing.

"Dude!" The raven hair teen yelled out of surprise and pulled the phone from his ear.

"Oh, sorry Abe"

"It's cool...I guess" Abe said while he wiped his face free of the few tears he shed. _Mihashi may just be the most annoying person I've ever met, hell he might just be the most annoying person on the planet but he's a fantastic pitcher and that's something that no one can deny...except for Mihashi that is but I'll make him realize it in due time._

"T-thank you Abe"

"I don't know why you're thanking me; I mean I'm just stating facts. The sky is blue, the grass is green and Ren Mihashi is a one hell of a pitcher."

Mihashi felt his face get redder as his heart rate began to match that of a jungle beat. He brought his phone down to his chest gripped it tightly as smile began to pull at the corners of his lips.

Abe started to hear his pitchers heavy breathing and something else. _Is that his heart beat?_ The catcher brought his phone closer to his ear and listened intently. _It's so fast though? As well as its irregular...and it's crazy loud! _

"Mihashi, is everything okay?" Abe began growing more concerned.

"I-I'm fine, better than fine" Mihashi said as he put his catcher on speaker phone and placed his phone on top of his bag.

Abe stared confused out the window. _Is he really that happy that I think he's a good pitcher? I've told him before though but...I guess it's a situation thing. I hope I didn't just give the team a cocky pitcher._ Abe let out a sigh and placed his head in his hand.

"Abe, is amazing"

"In what way, you're going to have to be more specific" Abe asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I-I can't"

"Why not?"

"B-because Abe is amazing in every way" The pitcher fiddled with his thumbs for a awhile before he opened his bag and placed the phone on top of everything else to keep it from falling, hopped on his bike and began the rest of the short ride home.

Abe stared in his lap taken aback slightly by Mihashi words as a blush began to creep over his face "Thank you"

"I don't know why you're thanking me; I mean I'm just stating facts" Mihashi practically shout back in a way that said he was clearly proud of himself for being able to use Abe's line against him.

Abe laughed but even though it was his line, his blush still deepened.

Mihashi reached his house and immediately hopped off his bike, leaving it in the front lawn, grabbed his bag and dashed into the house.

"Ren, is that you?" Abe heard Mihashi's mother's voice faintly from the phone.

"Yeah" Mihashi took his phone from his bag and placed it in front of him on the floor while he took off his shoes. "W-what should I do?" he wasn't sure whether he should practice his pitching or just get his shower and go to bed so he thought he'd get his catcher thoughts on the matter.

"Huh?" his mother appeared from the living room.

"Oh, sorry mom I was talking to Abe"

"Oh?" Mihashi's mother looked down and spotted the open phone. "Okay" _I'm so happy my little Ren is making friends._ She smiled down at her son then brought her attention to the door he had left open and spotted something on the lawn.

"So should I practices my pitching or go to be-"

"Ren, is that your bike on the lawn"

"Umm..." the teen already knew the answer but he turned around to look outside anyway avoiding eye contact.

Abe jumped in with a witty "I think you should put your bike away before you even think of doing anything else"

Mihashi's mom laughed and watched her son run out the door with only one shoe on and shook her head as she heard her husband enter the foyer. "Thank you, Takaya"

"No problem Mrs. Mihashi, if he's even half the handful he is at home that he is at practice, you need all the help you can get."

"Is he that hard to handle?" Mr. Mihashi cut in causing Abe to be confused for a split second before realizing it was Mihashi's dad talking.

"Well kind of and I know it's not intentional but I just get worried sometimes with his weight fluctuations, keeping his pitch count down and when we're actually playing games, I mean sometimes I'm ready to pull all my hair out the way he hovers over the plate when he's up to bat." The couple looked at each.

"Is there anything we can do from our end?" they said in unison.

"Oh, I wouldn't want you to stress yourselves out more then you probably already are but..." _As far as it goes with his weight it really comes down to what he eats so... _"Since our goal is Kōshien champion coach will be working use harder than before and the harder he works the more weight he'll end up dropping so-"

"I got you" The women cut in. _I guess I should buy one of those athlete's cooking manuals...but which one of them would be best for a still growing teenager. _Mrs. Mihashi scratched her head. _Asking their coach and the other moms about this would probably be a good idea._

"Anything I can do" Mihashi's father asked while squatting down to the phone to assure that he was heard.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble to just monitor him a little, like if he comes home from a weekend practice and then starts saying that he needs to practice his pitching, make sure he doesn't. Of course, getting the ball out of his hands is probably like trying to take food from a bear" _or Tajima_ "so maybe it would be better to go with a more discreet method like...uh..." Abe thought for a moment.

"Oh! Like hiding all his balls and saying that we misplaced them" Mihashi's mother suggested.

Both the raven haired teen and man burst into laughter.

"Um, yeah, I guess that would do it. Thank you both so much, I don't know how I can repay you. Maybe the both of you and Mihashi can come over for dinner sometime or we could go to a restaurant if that's preferred"

"Oh you don't have to do that" the women giggled. _What a sweet boy__._

"But I want to! You don't know how much this means to me" both the adults were taken aback.

"If I don't nag him then he'll end up doing something that could jeopardise our chances of getting to Kōshien but if I continue to yell at him the way I do now" he paused and really thought about "he's only going to be more scared of me" The teen began rubbing his temples "I don't like getting mad at him, really, it's like yelling at a puppy. The puppy doesn't know it's doing something wrong and it's not trying to make you mad, I imagine the puppy has the best intentions in mind but when it does do something wrong it won't learn if you don't yell at it but that might just cause the puppy to do those things you don't want it to do when you're not around but if it behaves then that puppy would win every game and it would make that puppy feel great about its pitching , which it deserves to because that puppy is a really good pitcher but...ugh" Abe brought both his hand to his face after dropping his phone in his lap. He took a few deep breathes and then remembered who he had been talking to and quickly brought the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry I didn't mean to load all that stuff onto you I just...I-"

"It's fine, we understand and we'll do the best we can" Mihashi father interrupted him and the catcher let out a huge sigh of relief. _Oh thank goodness._

"I'm just so happy to know that Ren has someone who cares about him so much" the short haired women added.

"Oh...I..." A faint blush started to spread across Abe's features and then he heard a door shut.

Mihashi walked in and looked around.

"Uh, did something happen when I was...gone"

"Nothing to be worried about" His father stood up and stretched.

Mihashi looked between his parents as he knelt down to take of his shoe "What happened?"

"We just had a little conversation" his mom said while waving her hand in the air to suggest that it was nothing of any importance, even though it was.

Abe sank back into his chair. _Little isn't the word I would use._

"Really?" Mihashi pressed as he took off his dirt covered sock.

"Yes, really it was just a little chat...but..." Mihashi's mother stopped for dramatic effect while she rose her index finger in the air "You should feel very lucky to have someone who cares for you the way Takaya does"

Mihashi stood up confused. "Who's Takay-Oh! Abe"

Though unaware of it to one another, both teens began blushing.

"Well I've got to get up early tomorrow so I'm going to bed" Mihashi's dad said as he kissed his wife and then hugged his son.

"Goodnight" he waved as he walked towards the stairs.

"Night" came both the brunettes. Mihashi mother sighed and looked over to her still blushing son who avoided eye contact like a pro. _Hmmmmm..._The women looked from her son to the phone and back multiple times.

"Well I guess I should head to bed pretty soon too" she watched as her son nodded furiously. "Your dinner is in the microwave once your done make sure you wash yo-"

"I-I already ate at Abe's" the teen interjected

"Oh" The women looked towards the kitchen " I wish I had of know that earlier, your father wanted to eat it but I told him not to...I guess I'll just go put it away for tomorrow then"

"Sorry Mrs. Mihashi, if he ever comes over again I'll make sure he calls to tell you" the catcher promised as he felt he was also somehow at fault.

"Thank you and have a good night Takaya" she said as she walked into the kitchen.

"You too"

Mihashi watched his mom walk into the kitchen then out and kiss him on the forehead before heading up stairs.

There was a moment of silence.

"Umm..." Abe spoke up not because he had anything to say but because he was sick of listening to the pitchers uneven breathing. _Even his breathing is awkward. _Abe thought to himself not knowing that the brunette was still blushing.

"A-b...e" the pitcher swallowed hard as he picked up his phone "W-what...d-o?"

The raven haired teen felt anger and concern at the same time do to Mihashi's inability to talk to him properly and not being able to tell whether he was nervous or on the verge of tear. _Well...better safe than sorry._ The catcher mustered up his best overly optimistic extremely happy all the time Tajima voice and asked his team mate "I don't know what you're trying to say, you alright man?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to know whether you think I should practice my pitching or go to bed early" the other teen answered immediately in a cheery voice as Abe hung his head in shame for the fact that, that idea actually worked. _Alright_ Abe thought as he brought his head up_ keep calm, be patient, even tone and not too loud._

"I think you should practice but not your pitching, your turn"

"My...turn?" the pitcher scratched his head. _What's he talking about?_

"Yes, your turn.." Abe paused and thought about the best way to explain it to Mihashi without putting him down in fear that it might affect his pitching. "When you're up to bat you swing or bunt and then you run to first base but because you bat left you have to turn around then run but when you turn it's easy to lose your footing especially when you follow through on a hit so I want you to work on really planting your feet on the ground after you swing to get a good push off the ground...do you understand?"

Mihashi nodded "Yes, I understand"

"If you were to become a decent runner that would be great for the team" _And my blood pressure._

"Okay"

"Alright...I'll talk to you later then"

"Night Abe"

"Night Mihashi" Abe took the phone from his ear hit the end call button.

"Who were you talking to?" Shun asked as he walked into the guest room.

"Oh, it was just Mihashi"

"The one with the nice smile" the younger said with a huge smile of his own plastered on his face.

"Yeah, that one" Abe said as he stared at his brother and wondered what it would be like to be that young and care free again.

"Do you want me to get you the futon or are you going to sleep in the chair"

"Hmm?...Oh, um I'll just sleep in the chair, get me a sheet though"

"Kay" the younger bounced out and bounced back into the room in 10 seconds flat. The teen thanked his brother and watched as he unfolded the blanket and gently sat upon the elder's lap. Shun grabbed the remote and changed the channel as he pulled the blanket over himself and his brother.

"What do you think you're doing?" Abe said as he stared down at his brother even though he was very use to this behaviour.

"I'm watching cartoons while hanging out with my awesome older brother" Shun looked up and flashed the cutest and most devious smile at his brother who looked down at him proudly. _That's my __boy._

It was barely 10 minutes before the 2 brothers had fallen asleep well mean while in the Mihashi household, others were awake and practising.

It was 10:00 and Mihashi was finishing up practising his turn. He had originally started practising inside but realized that practising with bat would give him better results so he moved himself outside. Mihashi concentrated as best he could, imagining he was in an actual game and that every swing counted. He wanted to be the best pitcher he could be and be a decent at bat to help the team. He wanted to have them rely on him for more than just his pitching. He wanted Abe to trust him and want him and need him on the team.

_I'm going to be the fastest runner on the team, even faster than Tajima. It will take all the other teams by surprise because they won't expect a pitcher to be anything more than a pitcher._ Mihashi smiled as he made his final swing, imagining his bat connecting with the ball, dropping the bat, planting his feet on the ground, pushing forward and then tripping over his own feet.

The pitcher spit the dirt out of his mouth and got up slowly. He checked to see if everything on his body was okay. _I guess you can't expect to become a great runner after one practice_. He wiped the dirt from his face._ But I'll work and get better_. He clenched his fist in front of him and looked up into the sky. _At least I fixed my turn like Abe wanted me to. _

Mihashi picked up the bat and went back inside where he got a shower and went straight to bed. His head hit the pillow and it wasn't long after before he was hit by a wave of tiredness. _Abe will trust me, Abe will want me, Abe will need me, b_eing his last thoughts before he was out like a light.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ren!" Mihashi heard his mother knocking on his door and screaming his name at a horrendous volume.

"Yes" he answered grudgingly as he shot up in his bed causing the baseball on his chest to roll onto the floor.

"You're late!" Naoe shouted while still frantically banging on the door to her son's room even though it was unlocked.

The brunette rubbed his eyes and blinked awake before the words finally connected in his head.

Mihashi jumped out of bed and nearly knocked his mother over as he swung open his door and dashed to the bathroom. He grabbed his tooth brush and began brushing furiously while simultaneously putting on his clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head trying his best not to get any toothpaste on it and looked to his clock which was blinking the time **_5:42am. _**

_Practice only start 12 minutes ago so if I pedal fast enough I can get there before their done the warm up, I just hope coach isn't too mad. _Mihashi spit, rinsed and then ran to the door where his duffel bag was waiting for him; all the while dreaded thoughts began filling his head.

_What if she makes Hanai starting pitcher? _He thought as he slipped on his shoes. _What if she doesn't let me pitch at all? What if she kicks me off the team and I never get to play baseball ag-_

"Lunch" Mihashi's thoughts were cut short as his mother came out of the kitchen with his lunch.

"Thanks mom" Mihashi kissed his mom and ran to the backyard to grab his bike. He adjusted his duffel bag strap across his chest and placed his lunch bag in the basket of his bike_._ The brunette then hopped on the bike, and began pedalling for his life.

Mrs. Mihashi watched, through the window, as her son pedalled away at top speed and then noticed the surprisingly dark sky. _Must be a storm coming_. She thought as she picked up the remote and turned on the news.

She listened intently to the television in the quiet house as she was feed the news that surprised her greatly.

She uttered out an "Oh dear" as she stared blankly at the television screen for a moment before turning her head to the blinking clock to confirm that the news was indeed right. "I guess I better call Ren"

Naoe walked over to the phone and quickly dialled her son's number from memory.

Mihashi was still pedalling at top speed when he amazingly heard his phone ring over the sound of the wind in his ears but chose to ignore it anyway. He wasn't going to stop for anything. It usually took him 15 minutes on his bike to get to the school but given the rate he was going at he could make it there in half that if he maintained his current speed.

Mihashi took the same route he usually did, as it was the fastest, and due to the extreme lack of car and just people in general it made getting there that much faster. The brunette knew the route like the back of his pitching hand so as he yawned he let his mind go into a numb state.

The morning air was cool and all was calm. It was truly a thing of beauty but to bask in such beauty would be like living in a fool's paradise. Summer mornings were always like this and to enjoy it now would make the high temperatures, which were sure to come later in the day, that much harder to bear. It was however strangely cooler than usual on this particular morning so he hoped the temperature later in the day wouldn't be as bad having forgotten to check the weather before he left.

* * *

Mihashi almost crashed into the fence surrounding the baseball field as he reached his desired destination. The brunette now had to back track since he had missed the bike racks but as he turned his head to look through the fence he saw an empty field.

_What?_ _Did they go somewhere? _The brunette was utterly confused. _Why would they leave? Coach Momoe didn't mention anything and even if she did they should only be finishing warm up by now. I thought I was making good time. _Mihashi pulled out his phone to check the time. _It's only 3:51 where could they have gone. _Mihashi closed his phone and only then realized the time he had seen. He flipped it back open and stared at the numbers clear as day _**3:51am**_.

"B-but..." The pitcher stared blankly at his phone and then it buzzed. It was a text. _**From: Mom**_. There was no message just a clear subject line.

_**Subject: The Power Went Out Last Night. Sorry. **_

The brunette was mildly peeved but more relieved than anything since he wasn't late for practice. _Well that explains the blinking clock...and why it's so dark...and cold…and the general lack of human life outside_. Mihashi hung his head in shame for not having connected the dots and realized the reason for all the things he listed off in his head that he found strange and thought he might be having a bad dream. The brunette squeezed his eyes shut still holding his phone but alas he was still awake and incredible tired at that.

The pitcher closed his phone and slipped it back in his bag while thinking about what he should do. _Should I just go back home? No that would just be a waste of time. I could go for a jog but I'm really tired. Maybe..._

"Mihashi" a voice yelled

The teen startled looked around for the source of the yelling but couldn't find one then he heard the clinking of the chain link fence and turned to see coach Momoe.

"H-Hi"

"You're here awfully early"

"Uh...yeah t-the power went out in my neighbourhood and when I woke up I thought it was way later than it.. actually..was..." the pitcher voice got quieter and quieter as he talked but his coach heard him loud and clear use to the teens behaviour.

"Well since your here I need to talk to you about something" Momoe said with her hands on her hips as she smiled at one of her most valuable charges.

Mihashi was terrified to say the least. _She wouldn't throw me off the team because I showed up early would she, no that's just dumb. Maybe it's about the game and how I don't shake of Abe's pitches. What if she kicking Abe of the team for telling me-_

"Mihashi I'm not kicking you or Abe off the team I need to ask you a favour"

"O-Okay" The pitcher watched his coach turn around and begin walking away from him. _Was I thinking out loud or did she read my mind. _The brunette scratched his head. _Or maybe I'm just easy to read. _He sighed as he let his head hang knowing that it was more than likely the last one.

"You can lock your bike to the fence, I'm just going to grab some paper" Maria shouted to her student. Mihashi nodded furiously and did as he was told then walked to the dugout where his coach was waiting on the bench. He sat down nervously and made little eye contact.

The older women looked down at the pitcher. _Do I really scare them this much? _The woman thought only for a split second about it then deemed it as completely necessary.

She slapped Mihashi on the back. "No need to be nervous I only need you to get something for me."

_Get something? _Mihashi listened intently as his coach drew out a map with the path to the destination from his house and a different longer path from the destination to the school.

* * *

"Did you get all that?" she ask her pitcher.

Mihashi nodded slowly digesting the information.

"Okay you'll have to get up fairly early the day after tomorrow but I'd let you skip morning exercises since it's such a journey and this should be physically challenging enough"

"Okay" The pitcher took the paper from the long haired woman and put it in his bag.

"I've got a lot of stuff I need to get done so I'll take my leave"

"Kay"

"You can just sleep on the bench if you like"

"Kay" Mihashi placed his lunch on the ground and his duffle bag on the bench to use as a pillow. The brunette let his head hit the bag and was asleep in seconds.

Momoe chuckled and walked away from sleeping boy. "Pitchers"

* * *

"Mi~Ha~Shiiiiii~"

Mihashi twitched in his sleep but didn't wake up.

"Mihashi?"

The pitcher, still practically asleep, heard faint noises in the distance but couldn't make out what they were. _It's probably just mom making breakfast. _He thought as he rolled over facing away from where the noise was coming from. _Why is my bed so hard? _The brunette, unmoving, opened his eyes and realized he was in the dugout. _Oh yeah I forgot. _Mihashi then heard someone from behind him take a deep breath in. _What the-_

"**MIHASHI!**"

The pitcher surprised by the volume of the shout fell off the bench but was caught. Mihashi opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of his captain somewhat paralysed with fear.

Hanai stood up still holding Mihashi bridal style and turned around to face their cleanup.

"The hell is wrong with you; Mihashi could have seriously messed up his shoulder because of what you just did"

"You were the one who told me to wake him up" Tajima said standing his ground.

"Oh so there wasn't a better way to do it"

"Uhh..." _Crap. _Tajima looked up at Hanai who was giving him look that could kill and then down to the brunette in his arms. "Sorry Mihashi"

"I-I-t's okay" The pitcher said still shaken from his abrupt awakening, one hand clutching the front of the reserve pitchers shirt.

"I promise it won't happen again...captain" Tajima said adding in Hanai's title almost mockingly.

"It better not" The taller said as he gave one last serious look to Tajima before putting Mihashi down.

"You alright" Hanai said once he had put the other on the ground and assured he was stable enough to stand.

"Yeah, I'm f-fine"

"Why were you sleeping in the dugout anyway?" Sakaeguchi asked as he entered the field able to hear the conversation even from a far.

"A better question is how," Mizutani added approaching the others with Sakaeguchi. "I can barely sit on this thing for 30 minutes without my butt going numb"

"Well..." Mihashi began staring at his feet "t-the power...house...out, time not right"

"Yours too huh?" the tallest teen asked able to understand the pitcher only because the power was out when he left his house that morning and the other nodded.

"What time did you get here then?" Sakaeguchi asked

"3:50"

"Holy" the second baseman exclaimed as Tajima let out an impressed whistle.

"Did you at least go to bed at a reasonable time?" The right fielder asked putting his hand on the nervous brunettes back. Mihashi jumped slightly at the physical contact as he looked up at the other and nodded. Hanai wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure? You look pretty tired to me."

"Well I am but I did go to bed at a reasonable time"

_Ugh_. Hanai thought to himself looking away from their pitcher while placing the hand that wasn't on Mihashi back, on his own forehead. _ I almost forgot how direct you have to be with him. _Hanai wondered what life was like for Abe and felt the contact that was being made with his hand break. The right fielder watched as the brunette who had been standing beside him jogged over to their coach as she put down a cooler with a box on it.

"Here" Momoe tossed 2 plastic wrapped snacks at the pitcher who ripped them open and devoured them in seconds. "Everybody take 2 snacks and a drink" Momoe flipped open the cooler to reveal it full of flavoured bottled water.

Everybody grabbed a beverage and 2 snacks as told and began eating. Mihashi was the last to take a drink, leaving the cooler of mostly water and a few un-melted ice cubes, empty. The brunette stared into the cooler as he was hit with a sudden wave of tiredness and chose to sit down. The pitcher was joined by the rest of his team sitting on the grass, eating there snack and drinking their water.

"Practice will start in 15, make sure your changed and circled up by the time I get back" The older woman said as she broke down the box and tucked it under her arm

"Yes ma'am" called the team as they ate and drank with exception of Tajima who was running to the bathroom while cramming his snack down his throat and Mihashi who was staring into the cooler.

"C-coach" he managed before she began walking away.

"Were you going to use this water"

Maria looked and the pitcher confused as to why he would ask such a question "No, what would I use it for?" Mihashi didn't answer but rather placed his drink beside him before taking a large breath and ramming his head into the ice cold water.

Hanai and the rest of the team stared shocked by the pitcher actions.

_Well that's a use for it, I suppose._ Momoe thought as she continued to walk away.

"Mihashi?" Their captain said reaching over to grab the pitcher but before he could the other emerged from the water.

Mihashi continued kneeling in front of the cooler for a moment with his hands on either side of it before sitting back down beside his captain looking quite pleased with himself as the water from his hair soaked his shirt. The pitcher then picked up his drink and took a large gulp and let out a pleased "Ahhh" as he brought the drink down from his lips.

Hanai stared at his teammate then looked away while taking a drink of his own water. _Well, that's a way to get rid of the tiredness, I guess. Of course..._he thought as he stared into the light of the barely risen sun and wiped the sweat from his forehead. _It is pretty damn hot._

It was by far the hottest day they had yet and summer wasn't even close to being over. All the teens sat pulling at their clothes to get it to stop sticking to their bodies from the sweat that was already dripping down all their backs. There were groans and complaints about the heat all around minus Mihashi who was sitting happily and quietly drinking his water.

The right fielder let out a sigh as he put down his water and began taking off his shirt; his glass and bandana getting pulled off along with it. Hanai crawled the short distant to the cooler and then shove his own head in and ripped it out.

_So cold._ Hanai thought as he crawled back to his seat next to their pitcher. _But so nice._

"Me next!" Tajima scream upon his return from the bathroom as he ran towards the cooler and dunked his head in, soaking his shoulders in the process.

"Refreshing" Tajima plopped himself next to his captain and pitcher having already finish his snack and beverage. Izumi was the next to dunk his head in the cooler followed by Mizutani then the rest of the team.

They all finished their food and began getting up to change; all of them removing their shirts before they stood realizing they needed to put them somewhere to dry and chose to put them on the fence.

"Hey Tajima" Hanai shouted walking toward the cooler.

"Yes?" Tajima answered as he placed his shirt on the fence and walked to his captain.

"Did you bring an extra shirt?" The right fielder asked as he picked up the cooler.

"Of course"

"What about pants"

"Yup"

"Underwear"

"Always" he said snapping the elastic of his boxers.

"Good" Hanai said as he threw the water from the cooler on to their cleanup soaking him head to toe.

"COLD!" Tajima screamed at the top of his lungs causing all the other players to look in his direction as a shiver shot up his spine that rattled his whole frame.

"Please try not to do anything else stupid that could get you or anyone else injured"

"And you couldn't have just said that minus the water" Tajima complained then suddenly slipped and fell face first into the mud puddle made by the water underneath him.

"I feel you'll remember better this way...plus I needed to get rid of the water somehow" Hanai chuckled as he watched Tajima get up covered in mud.

The freckled teen looked down at his mud cover body and then up at the cause. The right fielder watched as the others face went from the deepest frown physically possible to the absolutely creepiest smile he had ever seen on anyone as the other began laughing hysterically.

"Hanai, oh my gosh" Tajima said between laughs. "You're so funny. Isn't he so funny" the cleanup batter said turning to their scared pitcher who gave no response and just watched terrified. "You sure got me"

Hanai could tell from Tajima's tune of voice exactly where this was going.

"That was just so good you deserve..." Tajima said opening up his arms "a hug"

Before Tajima had even finished his sentence Hanai was running like his brand new 40 dollar jeans depended on it.

Tajima could have easily caught him in seconds but though it was true that he wasn't the smartest of the bunch, he was smarter than that. The freckled teen chased his captain around the field and back to the very spot where the chase started. The right fielder was too busy looking behind him to even notice the mud puddle but by the time he did it was too late.

Hanai slipped and fell into the mud, sliding forward due to the speed he was running at.

"Wow!" came the cleanup as he walked around his captain.

Hanai pulled himself out of the mud to find himself face to face with the freckled teen that was squatting before him.

"And your telling me not to do anything stupid" the teen offered his hand to his captain.

The right fielder stared at it the hand and then up to its owner "You're a jackass you know" he said as he grabbed the others hand and was pulled up.

"You brought this on yourself" the cleanup said patting his captain on the back.

The center fielder hated agreeing with Tajima, mostly because he was an idiot and was rarely ever right to begin with but he was right for once.

"Yeah I know" Hanai said sighing as he wiped the excess mud from his face as they followed the rest of their team to the change room.

"If you hadn't have made me mad, I wouldn't have chased you"

"Yeah I know" the center fielder said in a slightly more peeved tone as he rolled his eyes.

"If you hadn't of splashed me in the first place and made the mud puddle you wouldn't hav-"

"Yeah, I get it now shut the hell up"

Tajima did just that and smiled up at the other before run over their pitcher and started up a conversation.

_God he pisses me off so much._ The center fielder thought as he walked into the change room immediately dropping his bag on a bench and going to the showers. He turned on the water not bothering to take of his pant as they were muddy as well.

The pipe were being fixed in a variety of place in the school so the water still worked but the pressure was almost none existent and the water was that lukewarm temperature that nobody wants to shower in.

Hanai was told earlier in the week but was still surprised and disappointed. He sighed.

"You forgot didn't you?" Tajima said as he walked up to the shower beside him turning it on.

"Yeah"

"Hm" the cleanup responded. He had felt bad for what he did but once he remembered the shower situation he didn't feel nearly as bad.

Both teens finished washing themselves and walked back into the changing area to find only Oki who had just finished tying his shoes and was leaving. The first baseman turned around and saw the others with towels around their waist and Hanai with his wet pants in hand.

"2 minutes" He said before leaving and letting the other 2 rush to get ready.

Oki walked to the rest of his team who were already circled up and sat down. The only spaces empty were the ones on both sides of Mihashi who was sitting and fidgeting awkwardly. The act wasn't new but he looked more awkward than usual.

_Should I ask him if everything is alright?_ Oki thought as Tajima and Hanai ran towards the group.

"God I hate putting clothes on when you're wet, it's like trying to-"

"I don't know what dirty comparison you're about to make but don't"

"Don't act like you don't-"

"Shhh"

"You know-"

"Shut"

"Like when you-"

"Up"

"But you just can't-"

"Now!" The right fielder said slapping his hand over the others mouth and removing it as they each sat beside their pitcher Tajima on the right and Hanai on the left.

"You're so sour, right Mihashi" he said slinging his arm around the other.

"Hmmm...um yeah" the brunette said clearly unaware of what he was even agreeing with.

"You alright there, Mihashi?" The third baseman asked genuinely concerned about the brunette and confused as to why he looked so lost. _I can usually tell what's up with him but this time I don't have the slightest clue what's wrong. _The freckled teen thought as he removed his arm from the other.

"Don't worry" Hanai said knowing exactly what was wrong "He'll be back and nagging you just like he used to soon"

The pitcher staring at his hands in his lap nodded and looked a little more at ease as the words connected in Tajima's head.

_Oh. _The cleanup batter thought.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry" Oki reassured and the rest of the team chimed in with nods of agreement.

"I think there's a special relationship that a pitcher and their catcher have" Coach Momoe said as she entered the group.

"If by special you mean abusive then yeah it's a very special relationship" Tajima interjected feeling very strongly about the way in which Abe treated Mihashi and decided to bring it up since Abe wasn't present.

"Tajima" Hanai said in a tone that clearly stated he wanted the other to shut his god damn mouth but was sadly ignored.

"But Coach doesn't it worry you the way that he's always yelling and hitting him like he's worthless"

"He doesn't always hit me" Mihashi tried to defend the catcher knowing sometimes he did deserve a smack or 2 and the yelling was kind of necessary sometimes but the hits were defiantly more rare then the yelling.

"Well it would only take one time for him to really hurt you"

"But-" The pitcher tried interrupting to point out that Abe had and would never actually hurt him bad enough to cause serious injure but was cut off.

"I mean even I get that Mihashi confidence was lacking a lot when we first met him but it's gotten way better"

There were nods and hums of approval all around.

"I mean like Abe's level of improving in regards with getting mad at Mihashi due to his lack of confidence and Mihashi levels of confidence might not match up...at some point" Tajima received strange looks from the group and knew he wasn't explaining right. "Like-"

"I think that what Tajima's trying to say is..." Nishiro cut in. "that whereas at this point in time yelling at Mihashi might be having no effect or possibly helping his confidence at a later time as he grows more confident Abe's yelling at him might stop him from reaching his full potential and cause him to go back to the way he was before he joined the team"

"Yeah that" The third baseman exclaimed confirming that the other had gotten the meaning of what he was trying to say right.

The team turned to the brunette who was squirming under the watching eyes.

"Well if it keeps going on like it is now I'm sure I can trust one of you to bring this up again, right" Momoe said clearly concerned but still waiting to get practice started.

"Right" The team agreed.

"Now...we need to talk about our goal. Mihashi!"

Said player jumped when he heard his name.

"Y-yeah"

"Did you talk to Abe about his revised goal?" The older women asked

Mihashi nodded furiously.

"And?" Hanai pressed

"He said victory at K-kōshien"

The team was mildly surprised.

"Did he actually say that?" Hanai asked turning to Tajima and Sakaeguchi.

"I left before they even started talking" Sakaeguchi said shrugging his shoulders.

"And I wasn't in the room" Tajima added.

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Hanai turned to their pitcher.

Mihashi nodded and continued "He said that...uh...me, Tajima and coach were idiots..."

_He said what now._ Coach Momoe thought to herself

"but" Mihashi continued "that if we were aiming for Kōshien then we could count him in" The pitcher finished and the team sat in silence for awhile until Izumi spoke up.

"That sounds like something Abe would say but I'm not sure how much I trust Mihashi ability to pass on information"

Mihashi stared hurt at the centerfielder but knew already of his inability to communicate properly.

"Well we'll have to trust it for now, now what about everybody else goal" The Coach looked around at the teens.

All the members of the team besides Tajima and Mihashi all looked around at each other and then to Hanai who gave a nod.

"VICTORY AT KOSHEIN" The team shouted

"As I thought. I'll have to cut practice short again today because I have a meeting that I have to go to" _That I couldn't get out of. _She thought feeling Shiga's gaze boring into the back of her head.

"Let's go"

"Yeah" All then teens shouted.


	3. Chapter 3

Practice went by as usual the only difference being Tajima catching for Mihashi and the Tajima helping Mihashi with his batting upon their coach's request.

They finished as usual with stretches.

"But doesn't the way that Abe is always yelling at you bother you?" Tajima asked the pitcher as he stretched.

Mihashi shook his head. Tajima looked at Mihashi in a serious manner.

"Well it bothers me" he said as he looked away from the pitcher.

Hanai watched as Tajima's face morphed and turned into that of one with no expression. _Tajima really does act like Mihashi older brother._ He thought as he continued looking at the other who remained poker faced. _But he really doesn't look like himself without that huge dorky smile spread across his face. _Hanai continued to look at their cleanup as a look of concern settled on his face.

Izumi and Mizutani looked at their captain and their cleanup as the team began getting up. Both teens looked at one another then gave a nod to other as they came up behind Hanai and Tajima and began tickling them furiously. Both teen began laughing loudly catching the attention of their teammates. Tajima quickly fell to the ground but Izumi didn't seize tickling him.

"S-s-top, I'll kick you I swear-r-r" Tajima threatened as he rolled around and tried to push away their center fielder.

"Why?!" Hanai managed as he rushed behind their pitcher, who looked just as afraid as he was, to shield himself from Mizutani.

After about a minute or so of Mizutani and Hanai playing ring around the rosy, Mizutani stopped his attempt to catch their captain and suggested to Izumi stop tickling their cleanup as he was laughing so hard that he had started crying and had begun to complain about not being able to breathe or that he was dying. The left fielder couldn't make out what he was saying past his gasps for air.

"Why?!" Tajima shouted between gasps as the rest of their team began walking to the change room.

"You were both making really weird faces" Izumi said shrugging as the left fielder came up beside him with one hand on his hip and the other to his chin as he nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh" Hanai said assuming that staring at Tajima's face probably causing him to make so weird face of his own. He looked down to said person who was still gasping for air. Hanai moved himself from behind Mihashi who's startled and terrified face turned calm knowing he wasn't going to end up being tickled to death but then turned back to startled as their reserve catcher started hacking and sputtering.

Tajima now on his hand and knee had begun to choking on his own spit. The freckled teen sat up and began furiously coughing into his clenched fist. _Holy crap I'm gonna die from choking on my own spit. _The cleanup thought to himself realizing only after the thought went through his mind that he was being dramatic, but still continued to struggle for air during his hysterical coughing fit.

Hanai quickly made his way to the others side and knelt down beside him patting and rubbing his back in hope it might help somehow and because it was the only thing he could think to do.

"Try not to die on us buddy" Mizutani said kneeling beside the teen as well. Izumi remained standing next to the terrified pitcher who looked very well like he was sure his best friend was going to die.

Tajima grabbed the front of Hanai's shirt with the hand that he wasn't coughing into and leaned into his captain's shoulder get dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

Mihashi looked ready to faint as he tried to make his way to his best friend almost tripping but Izumi managed to catch him and set him down on the ground where he proceeded to make incoherent mumbles of concern.

"Should I get coach?" Izumi asked from where he was standing.

The right fielder was about to open his mouth to tell the other yes but Tajima shook his head as his coughing seemed to die down and he regained some composure.

"I'm fine" he said looking up to Hanai's with the tears still on his face and snot running from his nose.

The reserve pitcher wanted to laugh but couldn't find it in him given how worried he was about the other but he would always remember Tajima's face at that moment and how incredibly and hilariously un-cool he looked. The thought made him smile as he picked up the others towel, which had fallen off his neck when he was being tickled, and sloppily wiped the multiple residues from the leaking teens face cause the other to chuckle.

"Are you sure?" he said placing the towel on the others shoulder.

"Ha-ha y-"Tajima looked up and caught Hanai's gaze as his smiled down at him. A toothless smirk, like he was amused somehow but behind that was the face of someone who cared for him. That is to say as much as he would for anyone who had a similar episode to Tajima's. The cleanup batter suddenly became very aware of the warmth emitting from Hanai's hand that was still on his back rubbing slow gentle circles that were comforting and pleasant. "eah" he finished still in a slightly dazed as he gently pushing the other hand away.

"Okay" The taller teen said seeing Tajima's strange behaviour as nothing of importance given the episode he just had and the fact that it was Tajima.

"Are you s-sure?" came the voice of Mihashi who had been slow crawling towards the 2 after he'd been set on the ground by Izumi.

Reaching his hand out to the reserve catcher he collapsed to the ground and mumbled something that even Tajima couldn't understand.

"I'm fine, really" the freckled teen tried to reassure his friend who looked deader than he was at that moment.

"R-really?" the brunette asked again as he looked up to the other still reaching his hand out.

"Positive" he said smiling down at the other as he interlaced his and Mihashi's fingers in hope it might make him feel more reassured. Upon doing this all life seemed to re-enter the pitcher's body as if his soul had left and was now returning.

Izumi and Mizutani began walking away as the 3 got up from the ground.

Hanai tripped as he got up but managed to catch himself. _Crap, my legs asleep._ Seconds later the numbness went away and was replaced by the pins and needle.

"B-be careful" Mihashi said or rather command at his captain as he stumbled again.

"I will, I will" he said patting Mihashi on the back while he chuckled because the pins and needles tickled.

The 3 teens left in the field made their way to the change room.

* * *

"Hey, aren't you going to shower?" Hanai asked as he saw the brunette just change into his clothes.

"W-well since there's no hot water I thought I would just go home and shower" Mihashi said pulling his shirt over his head.

"That's actually not a bad idea" Tajima said agreeing with the other as he made his way to the bathroom stalls.

"Oh, well I was going to ask if you wanted to get some ice cream" Hanai said to the Mihashi.

"Really!" The pitcher said with his usually excitement for food and began drooling almost instantaneously.

"Yeah and then we could go to Abe's since I have to go pick up the notes I lent him" The right fielder added.

"Okay!" the brunette agreed immediately. _Ice cream and I get to go see Abe. _He thought putting his uniform in his bag. Both things he could have easily done alone but he thought it better to have someone else with him in both situations, especially the later.

"So should we just met at the ice cream shop or I guess I could go home and get a shower and we could meet back here in an hour" Hanai said scratching his head unsure of what to do and dreading having to go back into the shower but also not wanting to ride the length home and back.

"Y-you can shower at my house" Mihashi suggested shifting from one foot to another.

"Would your parents be okay with that?" the other asked somewhat startled by the others ability to read his mind but the idea of not having to go home pleased him greatly.

"Y-yeah they wouldn't mind"

Hanai thought for a moment as Mihashi waited as patiently as he was capable. _It seems kind of weird to go to someone's house just to shower but by the time I get to my house and bike back here I'll be just as sweaty as I am now and like hell I'm going back into those. _The reserve pitcher thought as he sneered at the showers.

"Okay, let's go" Hanai said putting his shirt back on since he only had the one extra pair of clothing, his pants being both dirty and soggy since he hadn't bothered to put them on the fence to dry with his shirt.

Mihashi smiled brightly at the other "Okay" he answered letting the happiness he felt take over causing him to shut his eyes as his smile was just too big for his own face.

Hanai stood staring at the other locked in a trance like state feeling like time had stopped for a moment just so he'd have more time to truly appreciate Mihashi's smile which wasn't just bright but blinding. Hanai found himself squinting at the brightness of the others smile but as he blinked it disappeared, gone as quickly and abruptly as it had arrived.

_Wow. _Was the only words that the right fielder could even think of and what microscopic justice he believed it did. _If I had a smile like that I'd own more of the world. _He thought still staring at the other as he zipped up his bag.

The brunette noticed his captain staring at him. "What?" the pitcher asked confused as he walked to the door.

Hanai found no point in lying to the other "You need to smile more"he said as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "That's all".

Mihashi stopped mid reach for the doorknob, taken aback by his captain's comment as he stiffened up slightly. _He thinks I should smile more? Does that mean he thinks…I have a nice smile? _

"Umm...o-okay" he said with a pink tint on his cheeks unknown to the other as he swung the door open and practically ran out.

"What the hell was that about?" Tajima said upon returning from the bathroom somewhat concerned that Hanai had said something mean to his friend only having heard the part about Hanai inviting the pitcher for ice cream.

"It's nothing" the other said not noticing the slight angry undertone to Tajima's question as he began walking to the door.

"And why'd you only invite Mihashi for ice cream?" The reserve catcher asked making it very clear to other that he wanted to go.

The reserve pitcher not bothering to turn around or stop walking answered. "You're invited"

"Well how was I supposed hear you say that from the stalls" Tajima said gesturing to the stalls even though the other had his back turned.

"I didn't say it before now, I just know that you and Mihashi are a package deal" the taller finished and left.

Tajima smiled, quickly shoved his stuff back into his bag and began running to the door.

"Alright, I'll shower at my house and then met you guys at Mihashi's" Tajima said as he caught up to the others.

"Text us once you leave" Hanai requested knowing that it would be all for not as their cleanup would probably forget.

"Yeah, yeah!" the freckled teen said

"So…is Tajima coming t-too?" Mihashi asked making some strange hand gestures as he did so.

"Of course," Tajima said "Hanai knows that if he gets you he also gets a special gift with purchase" Tajima gestured to himself.

Hanai wanted to say something but held his tongue choosing rather to just angrily squint at the shorter teen.

"What's going on?" Sakaeguchi asked as he walked out the change rooms with the rest of the team who all heard Mihashi suggestion to just go home to shower and all agreed it was the smartest thing to do.

"Were getting ice cream" The pitcher and the cleanup exclaimed.

"After we shower" Their team captain inserted.

"I could go for some ice cream" Mizutani said inviting himself along.

"I wish I could but it would take forever for me to get home and back" Sakaeguchi said being the one who was the longest distance from the school.

"Me too" Izumi and Nishihiro said in unison.

"You could shower at my house Nishihiro" The third baseman said slapping the other on the back.

"And you 2 can shower at my house" Mizutani said slinging his arms around the first baseman and the right fielder.

"What about you 2" Hanai said turning his attention to Oki and Suyama not really caring that the small gathering was getting larger by the second.

"I'm not really feeling ice cream today" Oki stated "Thanks for the offer though"

"And I promised my brother I'd help him with something" Suyama said

Both teens started to leave receiving a chorus of good-byes from their teammates.

"Have a good night" Sakaeguchi shouted.

"You too" Suyama shouted back exiting the field.

"Alright" The team captain said clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"We'll go our separate ways and then meet at Mihashi's"

Hanai received nods and 'okays' from his team.

"Alright then, let's go"

All the teens left the field and got on their bikes.

"See ya in a bit" Tajima began pedalling at a decent pace making sure Nishihiro could keep up.

"See ya" The other 3 teens rod away on their bikes leaving only Mihashi and Hanai.

"Lead the way" Hanai gestured in the direction of Mihashi's house having only been there twice and wasn't sure he'd remember the way.

"Oh, okay" Mihashi said and the 2 teens set off.

* * *

Mihashi and Hanai arrived at the pitcher's house within 15 minutes.

"Look like nobodies home" Mihashi noted as they rode onto the lawn.

_Good. _Hanai thought it not to be the most polite thing for someone to walk into someone else's house and just expect to be able to use their shower.

Both teens placed their bikes at the side of the building and then entered the house.

"T-the bathroom is down the hall , on the left" The pitcher said upon entering the house and closing the door behind him.

"Don't you want to go first?" Hanai questioned

The brunette shook his head.

"Oh…um okay" Hanai walked down the hallway and pointed at one of the doors.

The pitcher nodded his head so furiously it looked like it would fall off and then watched his captain walk into the bathroom.

Mihashi stood for a moment at the door and then went to the kitchen.

He placed his dirty containers in the sink and was about to wash them but remembered that Hanai was in the shower.

Mihashi didn't know what to do with himself so he went to his room and sat down in the chair near his bed. The pitcher started imagining what kind of ice dream he would get and before he knew it had spaced out.

"Mihashi" Hanai said nudging the others arm.

"Huh" the pitcher twitched violently as he was startled.

"You can get your shower now" the other said.

"Okay!" The brunette jumped out of his chair and ran out of his bedroom.

The reserve pitcher shook his head as he went to go sit down but the other re-entered his room.

"Clothes" was all he said as he began opening multiple drawers, pulling out several things and dashing back out of his room without closing anything.

The taller teen sighed deeply as he got up and started closing all the things the pitcher had opened.

_What do you do with someone like that? _Hanai closed the top drawer and noted the pictures on the others dresser. He looked around the room which, since the last time he'd been in it, had more personal touches to it. _His room is actually starting to look like his room. _Hanai couldn't imagine what it would be like living without your parents for a good deal of time and then coming back. _I'd probably feel like a stranger in my own house. But I don't know what his room looked like at his grandparents so maybe he never really settled in there either or maybe he just doesn't have a lot of stuff. _The right fielder turned back to the pictures on the dresser and noticed one in particular. _Isn't this that guy we played against at Mihoshi, Kano or something? _The reserve pitcher picked up the picture. _I guess they really were friends. I wonder if he still talks to him, or if they ever hangout any more? _He put the picture down and looked at the team picture taken after one of their games but couldn't recall which one. _I wonder…if he likes him better than us. _Hanai realized how idiotic a question it was. _Of course he does…right. I mean…_

Hanai walked to Mihashi's bed and sat down. He came to the realization that he really couldn't come up with a solid answer. On the one hand they were a large group of people against one person which made the odds seem unfair.

_But he's only known us for a short time and he's known Kano for who knows how long. As well we may give Mihashi all the support he needs as his teammates but before what happened at Mihoshi, Kano gave the guy an actual friendship and what have we given him. _Hanai feel back onto the others bed. _The only person who he's really friends with is Tajima…and Abe…I think… _Hanai sat back up on the bed. _Does he hang out with Abe outside of the times we were with him? And how often does he hang out with Tajima? I mean their both in the same class along with Izumi but does he hang out with anybody else on the team? Does he even consider the rest of us his friends…does he consider me his friend? _

The teen rested his chin in one of his hand and placed the other on his knee as he went over his last thought and came to the resolution that the answer was no or rather he considered him no more his friend than he did Suyama, Oki or Nishihiro and he wasn't satisfied with that.

_I like him a lot, I mean, I still want to clock him in the jaw every once in awhile but it's way more rare now and that's normal. I want to be friends with him or better friends. _

Hanai laided back down shutting his eyes and waited patiently for the other to return.

Mihashi walked in roughly 10 minutes later to find the other asleep on his bed. He walked to his dresser where is phone was and seeing that the light on it wasn't blinking he slipped it into the pocket of his shorts and sat down on the chair near his bed and within a few minutes he had fallen asleep as well.

* * *

Tajima tried calling again but no answer.

"No answer" he said to the taller teen beside him as he closed the phone.

"We should probably just go ring the doorbell then" Nishihiro said to the freckled teen.

"I'll do it, watch my bike kay"

"Sure" The reserve player watched as the other hopped off his bike, dropped it not bothering to put down the kickstand and jogged to the door.

"Hey!"

Nishihiro turned to find Mizutani, Izumi and Sakaeguchi riding towards him.

"Where's Tajima" Sakaeguchi asked stopping his bike next to the other.

"He went to go find Mihashi and Hanai" Nishihiro answered.

"They're not answering their phone?" Mizutani questions and watched the other shake his head.

"No, he tried calling Mihashi phone twice but he didn't pick up"

"I'll try Hanai's" the first basemen flipped his phone out and started dialling.

The 3 others waited then watched as their cleanup batter returned.

"Nobody's answering the doorbell and I rung it at least 20 times" The freckled teen said not exaggerating at all.

"Maybe they left without us" The left fielder suggested

"But it was Hanai's idea to get ice cream!" Tajima shouted

"Maybe he just really wanted to go with Mihashi" The center fielder remarked

Sakaeguchi having dialled Hanai's number but received no answer got off his bike and walked to the house and listened intently.

"No they're in there I can hear Hanai's phone listen"

The other got off their bikes and approached the house and remained quiet as they all heard the faint ringing.

Izumi noticed the bike against the side of the house then walked to the front door and slide it open walking inside.

"Izumi, you shouldn't just barge into other people's house, it's rude" Sakaeguchi said closing his phone.

"So is inviting people for ice cream and not answering your phone" Tajima stated kicking off his shoes and following Izumi's lead.

The first basemen looked to the other 2 who were both making the same 'I have a feeling this is a bad idea face' but all 3 teen soon found themselves in the house.

"Call one of them again" Tajima commanded and Sakaeguchi complied calling Mihashi's number. All the teens remained quiet until they heard the ringing.

"Isn't that coming from his room" Mizutani asked not remembering the layout of the others house well.

"Only one way to find out" The cleanup batter stomped towards Mihashi's room and the others followed. Not bothering to knock the the cleanup batter violently pulled the door open and was underwhelmed by what he found.

"How disappointing" the freckled teen walked into the room seeing his best friend sitting asleep in a chair and their team captain curled up on the bed.

"What were you expecting?" Sakaeguchi asked entering the room.

"Something involving pornography magazines. Mihashi!" The shortest teen smacked the other in the arm. The brunette blinked awake and wiped the drool from his mouth. Yawning and stretching as he looked over to the many teens who had entered his room and quickly became aware of the situation.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep" the brunette stood up abruptly and let out a slew of apologizes.

"It's fine. Now" Tajima set himself in a running stance. "Time to wake up the big guy"

Mihashi looked over to their captain curled up and sleeping on his bed. _He looks so…small. _The pitcher found great awe in seeing their reserve pitcher curled up looking so, not in command or mature as he usually looked. The pitcher was used to looking up to the other in both the literal and figurative sense. He respected him greatly; he was one of the people he respected the most on the team, only second to Abe, but looking at him now he seemed more...real. Mihashi knew he had a tendency to see people only as the role they played in his life and less like they were actually people. Hanai was the team captain and whenever he thought of Hanai he thought of him and referred to him as the team captain and often forgot although they weren't great friends they were friends. The brunette watched as his best friend took a running start in order to jump on the other.

"Hanai" he screamed as he jumped in the air. Tajima was hoping that he would wake up just before he smashed into him thinking it would be funnier if he did but rather then awaking the right fielder rolled over causing Tajima to bounce off the bed, jostling the other awake and smashing into the wall on the other side of the bed.

It took Hanai moment to piece together what had just occurred but swiftly made the connections. The reserve pitcher wanted nothing more to ring the others neck or shove one of the many baseballs laying on Mihashi's floor down the others throat but he was much too tired to do either of those things or to even repeat the point he made to Tajima about doing stupid things only earlier in today. He instead stood up and ignored the other.

"Are we going?" he said tighten his bandana and cleaning his glasses.

"What!?" the cleanup batter pulled himself onto the bed. "You're not even going to say anything or check if I'm okay?" Hanai simply turned around, putting on his glasses blinked at the other a couple times and turned back around. The freckled teen was flabbergasted by how unconcerned the other was about the event that had just transpired. _I expected his reaction to be something along the lines of yelling at me for 5 minute but he didn't even react._ Tajima brought his hand to his nose and touched it "Ow" he said walking up next to the other. "It really hurts though" he looked up at the taller, who sighed and removed his hand from his nose and placed the other on his hip bending down to his height.

_It looks fine._ The right fielder thought. _And if it was that bad it would be swollen up already,__ Tajima's just being a drama queen. _

"Holy crap!" Hanai acted surprised "Some of your freckles fell off!"

"What?!" Tajima said bringing his hands to his nose full of concern. "Wait."

The rest of their teammates started laughing hysterically. Tajima looked up at the other but he was already walking towards the door.

Hanai approached the door walking past the laughing brunette standing next to the chair who he began to watch._ I may not be as zealous as Tajima but I'm also not as temperamental as Abe. _The right fielder stopped before reaching the door where his other teammates were. _He could use someone like me in his life. _The right fielder became conscious of just how self centered he sounded. _But he really does need someone less impetuous and more imperturbable. Some who's not as dangerous as Tajima. _He looked over to the teen who looked peeved then back at the pitcher. _And someone who far less…_An image of Abe flashed through his mind..._threatening then Abe. _

"Mihashi" he said as coolly as possible.

The other seized his laughter and looked in the direction of their captain.

"Let's go" Hanai gestured to the door smiled at the pitcher.

"Yeah!" Mihashi exclaimed almost knocking over his teammates as he rushed out of his bedroom but succeeding in making all of them stumble. They all followed after the overly excited pitcher.

Hanai walked out of the room and closed the door taking a few steps before realizing he forgot his bag. Hanai walked back into the room walking past the freckled teen who was still there, grabbed his bag and walked back to the door.

"You know you'll never be as cool as this guy" Tajima stated smiling and pointing to himself with his 2 thumb.

_I know you're so cool. _Hanai thought unable to deny that even though Tajima was often doing and saying stupid things he was still undeniable the coolest person Hanai knew and it pissed him off to no end but...Hanai thought back to Tajima face after his coughing fit and had to hold in his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah" Hanai tried to wave his comment off like it was no big thing. "Let's go" he said in the doorway facing away from the other trying to keep the falsely composed look on his face.

"No" Tajima lifted his finger and pointed accusingly at the other even though he couldn't see him "I want to hear you say it"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Fine, I'll just…" Tajima sat down on the Mihashi's floor facing away from the taller with his legs crossed. "sit here until you do"

_Really Tajima, we don't have time for this now, I, don't have time for this now. _The fake cool look Hanai was trying to keep quickly faded and was replaced with real anger and mild irritation.

"Fine then I guess Mihashi gets the 2 ice creams I was going to buy you" Hanai walked out of the room quickly making his way to the front door as he heard the door of the room he just left smash open and the freckled teen came dashing out.

"Like hell he is!"

"No, it's too late now" Hanai said making his way out the door, where the resident of the house was waiting to lock it.

"But that's not fair" Tajima whined running after the other but turned quickly back to his friend who was making sure the door was locked.

"Mihashi you can't eat 4 ice creams can you"

The brunette was confused by his friend's outburst but answer truthfully anyway. "Um…probably I once ate a whole tub of ice cream by myself once" Mihashi recalled the memory of his parents, more concerned than angry, when they found there 5 year old son on the kitchen floor sleeping with an empty tub of ice cream beside him.

"You only really ate half the tub" Mihashi's father stated approaching he son having parked in front of the house "It looked like you smeared a quarter of it on the floor and the other quarter your face" The older man remembered the event like it was yesterday and how he longed to have the 5 year old version of his son, back in his arms sleeping, or gently knocking on the door to his parents room to wake him up so they could play catch._ He was such a good boy_.

"Me and the guys are going to get ice cream, I'll be back before dinner" the teen finished by hugging his father.

Reiichi looked at the boy for a short moment before returning the sentiment. _And he still is. _The raven haired man kissed his son on the head ruffling his hair before waving the brunette and his teammates goodbye. _If only there were more hours in a day. _The man thought wishing he had more time to spend with his son. _If only._


End file.
